Have you encountered an Error screen displaying a DNS related error? It’s frustrating as you can’t access anything on the internet after this error appears. But we have fixed it for all browsers and for both Windows and Mac.

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DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_BAD_CONFIG is a common network connection error that could appear when you access a website in a web browser. A screen with the following error appears.

DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_BAD_CONFIG

As the name of the error suggests, it’s a DNS-related error. It indicates your computer has bad DNS (Domain Name Server) configuration and that’s stopping your computer from establishing a connection with the network.

Is it website/browser specific error?

This error is not website specific so you can see it on any website. Similarly, it’s not browser-specific. It means you can encounter this error while using Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Opera, or any other internet browser.

Since this error is network related, you may see this error when visiting any website in any web browser. Remember, you connect using the same network irrespective of your browser/website.

Why a lot of Chrome users report this error? The reason for this is quite simple. Since Google Chrome is the browser most people in the world use, naturally the numbers of complaints from Chrome users are going to be higher.

Some Android mobile users have also reported this error. They see this error due to bad configuration of their router. The methods explained in this guide will fix this error not only for Windows PC and Mac, but you can also use the same methods to fix this error on Android mobile.

Why you encounter this error?

3- A browser plug-in has hijacked and changed your IP and/or DNS address (such as VPN app that changes your location and makes you anonymous – such apps can easily hijack network settings and cause errors such as DNS_PROBE_FINSIHED_BAD_CONFIG)

DNS is a specific IP address assigned to your computer by the network. When network fails to translate your IP address due to bad configuration, your see the DNS error whenever visiting a web page.

How to fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_BAD_CONFIG

When you see DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_BAD_CONFIG error, it’s very frustrating. You can’t access any website. Out of frustration, you change your browser and yet again, you see the same DNS error.

If you are stuck with this error and you can’t find your way around it, follow instructions below to fix this problem.

1- Restart your router

The first step to take when you see this error is to restart your router. It will fix the error whether you encounter it on Android mobile, Windows PC, or Mac. You can restart your router by simply turning it off. Wait for a minute and then power it on.

After you restart your router, restart your computer as well.

Once your computer and router are ready, connect to your network again either using WiFi or LAN cable. It should work properly without any issues. Visit any website and you will be able to access it.

But if you are still seeing the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_BAD_CONFIG error, move on and try the next solution.

2- Clear browser cache

Sometimes, it’s corrupt cache that’s causing the DNS error. In such situations, the best solution is to clear cookies and browser cache. It’s easy whether you are using Google Chrome or any other browser.

Follow these general settings that apply to all common browsers.

a) Open your browser

b) Go to ‘settings’ in your browser

c) Now look for option such as ‘browsing data’, ‘history’ or something similar

d) It’s ‘browsing data’ in Chrome, Firefox, and Opera browser

e) Now you should be able to clear cookies and cached data

In most cases, clearing browser data should fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_BAD_CONFIG error. If you encounter this error despite clearing cache/cookies, follow the remaining steps below.

3- Delete temporary files

Your browser stores temporary files on your computer so that it can quickly access them later to improve your browsing experience. Sometimes, you could see the DNS error when some of these files are corrupt.

In Windows, temporary files are stores in ‘temp’ directory. You can access it by following the steps below.

a) Press Windows + R key

b) Alternatively, open Run dialogue box from Windows programs by going to Start>All Programs

c) When you see the Run dialogue box, type “%temp%” without quotes

d) Hit enter

e) You should be able to see temporary files stored on your computer

For Mac users, follow these steps to find temporary files on your computer.

a) Press Shift + CMD + G keys together

b) A dialogue box will open

c) Enter “~/Library/Caches” without quotes in the text field

d) You should be able to see temporary files stored on your Mac

After you have access to these temporary files on your computer, simply select them all and DELETE. Getting rid of these files could help you resolve the DNS problem.

In case this doesn’t help, move to the next step.

4- Reset Google Chrome browser

This step is for Google Chrome users only. If you are using any other browser such as Firefox or Opera, you may want to contact support forums to see how to reset your browser.

Resetting your browser resets many different settings and it may solve your problem magically. Here are the steps to reset your Chrome browser.

a) Open Chrome browser

b) Go to Settings

c) Scroll down and find “Show Advanced Settings”

d) Click it to expand settings

e) Now you should be able to see “Reset Settings” button at the end

f) Click it to reset Google Chrome browser

Usually, this step fixes the DNS error for most Google Chrome users. If you use another web browser, resetting it could also help.

If, for some reason, this step hasn’t helped, try other solutions below.

5- Change DNS address

Sometimes, changing DNS address of your network adapter can solve the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_BAD_CONFIG error. Here is how to change DNS address.

a) Click Start button in Windows OS

b) Find “Open Network and Sharing Center” and click it

c) If you are using Windows 8 or Windows 10, simply search for ‘network and sharing’ and the relevant settings should appear

d) From Network settings page, click on “Change Adapter Settings”

e) Now you should be able to see Network Connection settings

f) Right click on it and choose “Properties”

g) Choose “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)” and click on its properties

h) Now you should be able to change DNS server address

i) Change it to 8.8.8.8

j) In the alternate DNS server field, enter 8.8.4.4

k) Save settings

Now try browsing the internet. Visit your favorite websites. It should work without giving you the DNS error.

In case the error is still there, follow the steps below.

6- Flush DNS and renew IP address

If nothing else helps, you could try to flush DNS and renew IP address to fix

DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_BAD_CONFIG error page. Since this resets DNS and fixes network configuration, it should fix the DNS error in most cases. Follow the steps below.

a) Open Run dialogue box by pressing Windows + R key on your keyboard

b) You can also open Run by going to Start>All Programs

c) Once you see the Run dialogue box, type CMD and hit the Enter key to open the command prompt

d) Now type the following commands separately in the command prompt and press Enter after each line

ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /all

Now restart your computer and try to visit some websites again. It should work now. You should not encounter the DNS error again.

DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_BAD_CONFIG is a common error that can be easily fixed. You can flush DNS, reset your browser, remove cache, and delete temporary files. That will remove any corrupt cache, temporary files, and reset DNS settings on the router. I hope that has helped you to solve this DNS error.

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